Design

looks like an evolution of the LG V30, not the G6

Beautiful color choices

Nearly 50% thinner than the LG G6

Looks like yet another phone with a notch

Design wise the G7 has more in common with the V30 than it does the G6, the G6 had a flat boxy design which made it a tank. We’ve got a solid variety of color choices: Moroccan Blue, Aurora Black, Raspberry Rose, Platinum Gray.

Display

6.1” LCD display with QHD+ resolution

Full Vision

Super Bright display 1000nits based on DCI-P3 Standard

Yet another phone with a notch

New Second Screen floating bar

AI is the name of the game in 2018, and the display on the G7 has gotten smarter, depending on the type of content you’re viewing, the display can be set to six different display modes: Auto, Eco, Cinema, Sports, Game and Expert. In Auto mode, your phone automatically analyzes the content – photos, videos, website, game, etc. – to optimize the display and power consumption. The user can also further refine the image by adjusting the color temperature and the individual RGB levels.

The New Second Screen displays notifications without taking up space and can be customized to your taste. The display can be fully expanded for an almost borderless look, or can be set to a more traditional style with notifications on a black background or another color to achieve a more “personal” effect.

Hardware

Options for 4/6GB of RAM depending on the market with 64/128GB of storage options

3000mAh battery

IP68

Dedicated Google Assistant button

The Snapdragon 845 comes sporting a processing unit (SPU) that Qualcomm says offers “vault-like security” with the microprocessor, memory, crypto engine and random number generator all sitting on its own power island.

Performance and battery life will also improve, thanks to an octa-core Kryo 385 CPU with four 2.8GHz high-power cores and four 1.8GHz low power cores; the 845 is meant to be 30 percent more efficient than the 835 for gaming, video and AR/VR.

Qualcomm’s new super-fast X20 LTE modem is built-in, offering CAT 18 speeds of more than 1Gbps, as well as an enhanced Spectra 280 image signal processor. Qualcomm has bumped up video recording potential to Ultra-HD, and added in various AI improvements.

We have no word yet on what specification or color variants Germany will get as the official event is at the end of May.

Software

The LG G7 has the infamous dual lens set up on the rear that allows for a standard and super wide-angle configurations, both lenses are now 16MP. On the front we have an improved 8MP Selfie Camera.

LG launching an improved Ai Cam which first debuted in the LG V30ThinQ. AI CAM now offers 19 shooting modes, compared to the initial 8 and users can still tweak their shots with one of four preset color options after the camera has identified the object or scene.

LG is using pixel binning or pixel oversampling on the G7. The camera combines the information from four neighboring pixels into a single large pixel. This helps to produce and image that has less digital noise and can perform better in low-light situations.

With this technology in mind, the G7 has a Super Bright Camera, which takes up to four times brighter images. This is thanks to a new image sensor and improved software processing, the AI algorithm automatically adjusts the camera settings for the best balance of brightness, clarity, resolution and color when shooting in low light.

LG has added a few new features to the G7. Live Photo mode records a second before and after pressing the shutter release button, it’s basically live photo from the iPhone. The Stickers feature uses facial recognition to enrich your images in real time with fun 2D and 3D stickers!

The G7 also comes with Portrait mode, the bokeh effect can be created using either the standard or super wide-angle lens. You can not zoom in while using Portrait mode, but you can adjust the level of blur after you’ve taken the photo. The wide angle lens is used to give the depth effect.

Software

Google Lens

Google Assistant has a hardware button, means you never have to say “Ok Google Again”

Android 8.0 Oreo

Facial recognition will work on up to 5 faces

The LG G7 will be one of the first smartphones to offer Google Lens ready to use. Google Lens was developed as an object recognition tool that can identify and provide more information about places of interest, plants, animals and books, as well as recognize text.

The Google Assistant button is versatile, a single press will launch the Google wizard, two presses will activate Google Lens. Users can also press and hold the button to start talking to the Google Assistant right away.

LG has launched long-range voice recognition with the G7, it’s a highly sensitive microphone that will let you talk to Google Assistant’s when you’re up to five meters away. This feature can separate the controls from the background noise, making the LG G7 a great alternative to a home IA speaker even when the TV is on or the vacuum cleaner is running.

Sound

Boombox speaker

DTS:X gives you 7.1 audio channels

32 bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC

The company has also confirmed it will feature a Boombox speaker and DTS:X 3D surround sound. It says that when placed on a solid surface the G7 will use its resonance chamber as a woofer to amplify the bass effect. To be clear, this is good sound, but it’s not stereo.

DTS:X 3D offers up to 7.1 channel performance without you needing to buy an expensive pair of headphones. The G7 once again has a HiFi Quad DAC, which builds four DACs on a single chip to lower distortion.

Battery life

3000mAh battery

Wireless Charging

The Snapdragon 845 is 35% more efficient than the 835

The LG G6 & LG V30 both offered all day battery life, so we expect the same from the G7, but check back for our full review towards the end of the month.